Google Search Plus Your World: What Is The ‘Plus’ For You?
Google have today announced the launch of their new product, Search Plus Your World, designed to add a social element to their tried and tested search function. It means that not only will the search return traditional results, but also return information that has been posted by people in your circles. They have also added a neat little feature where it auto completes when you search on a name with anyone that you have in your circles, providing you with a small summary of their profile in a Google Instant style snippet at the top of the page.
The new algorithms will make your Google experience far smoother, meaning that Google+ pages are more accessible to you and search results will be better personalised, tailoring the search experience to be very user specific. It’s a clever concept, putting more weight on social influence and how we are more likely to make choices and opt for things if our friends, peers or colleagues have put their opinion behind it. Brands understand the power of social endorsement, and for this reason the addition of Search Plus Your World has massive potential for marketing.
The name might be a little clunky, but it’s an idea that is designed to make us all a lot more social. The sticking point however, is that if you aren’t on Google Plus then you need to get there, and quick.
The addition of these social search results is currently only available to US searchers, but you can guarantee that this will roll out to the rest of the world in record time. With Search Plus Your World results taking up valuable real estate at the top of the search results, natural search results may get pushed further down the page, changing the face of search and SEO.
It’s doubtful that Google will provide search for competing social media sites like Facebook, unlike the partnership that rival Bing have developed with Twitter and Facebook; and for this reason businesses need to be adapting their social media strategies and making their name known within Google+. Traditional search methods and SEO techniques may become less advantageous, and for this reason it will pay to be established in this forum before the updates roll out worldwide.
It’s important to note:
- It is not the answer to social search as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr are not featured. It is an enhancement to Google+
- As individuals and companies it is vital you engage with Google+
- It is not rolled out worldwide yet, but it will be soon.
- Some regular searches will be pushed down by Google+ results
- Are all privacy bases covered? Should there be an opt out button for content?
What do you think of the Search Plus Your World feature? We would love to hear what you think, by commenting below or starting a discussion with us on Twitter.
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